Everything Cookies and Brownies Interview

A friend and co-blogger here at Blisstree has a new book out. Marye shares fabulous recipes daily here at Baking Delights, in her spare time she wrote a  new book. Marye Audet agreed to answer a few of my questions about herself, and her new book Everything Cookies and Brownies.

How did you get started writing?
I had started a small food blog to share recipes with my oldest two children, who lived in other states. It allowed them to access family recipes easily. It was “discovered” and the rest is more or less history.

Who was the biggest influence on your baking style?
My Dad. My mom was not a cook, did not like baking very much at all. I found a recipe for homemade bread in a Seventeen Magazine when I was about 14 and made it for my Dad. He was very encouraging.

What is your favorite food related memory?
I spent summers in Michigan at my Aunts’ and Uncles’ farms. Picking heirloom apples from gnarled and ancient trees, eating produce that had been picked only moments before, and swatting mosquitoes while picking raspberries are all fond memories for me.

What is your absolute favorite food?
Yikes! Ummm…Chocolate…Dessert…Cheese…Pennsylvania style wet chicken pot pie…apple fritters…too many to name, I suppose!

What is your most memorable food catastrophe moment?
I did not know how to cook when Marc and I got married…I had really never been allowed in the kitchen much because my mom did not like messes. I took an entire afternoon to make Marc and my first meal…He was playing volleyball and he came home tired. He sat down and ate about half of the dinner and then ran to the bathroom and threw up. I was devastated.

Where did the idea for Everything Cookies and Brownies come from?
It isn’t really my idea. Adams Media has an “Everything” series and they asked me if I would be interested in writing the Everything Cookies and Brownies Cookbook. They laid out the guidelines for what they wanted.

What inspired you to write a book?
Serious need for cash. No, seriously, I really hope to encourage families to cook together, to spend time together in the kitchen. It is such a bonding experience.

What is your favorite recipe in the book, and why is it your favorite?
Blueberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies (I think). It is my favorite because it encompasses the flavors that I love best. And it is totally unique. Marc’s favorite is the Maple Snickerdoodles.

What other authors or foodies inspire you?
Dorie Greenspan, definitely… I loved watching Julia Child and the Galloping Gourmet. I just like food shows, cookbooks and blogs…I think that I am inspired by all of them.

How did it feel when you got to hold that first copy of your book in your hand?
Kind of odd. I still don’t see it as a cookbook. It isn’t really real to me yet.

Thank you for sharing with us Marye!

If you’d like to get your own copy of  Marye’s new book Everything Cookies and Brownies, it will be released on September 17th. You can purchase it at the Everything Cookies and Brownies website. It’s also available for pre-order at Amazon, and coming soon to major bookstores.

Images courtesy of Marye Audet Everything Cookies and Brownies